Insider Explains Why Rays Should Acquire Tarik Skubal

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Insider Explains Why Rays Should Acquire Tarik Skubal

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Logan VanDine | Last updated May 22, 2026 5:18 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of Major League Baseball's biggest surprises this season.

Entering the weekend, the Rays have the best record in all of baseball at 33-15 and hold a 4.5 game lead ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.

While Tampa Bay has been known over the years to keep finding its way into the postseason conversation, they were expected to hover near the bottom of the AL East. This was especially the case after three teams in the division made the postseason (the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox) last year, as well as the Baltimore Orioles bolstering their roster in the offseason.

But the Rays have clearly shown their ability to develop players in their minor league system, as well as to roll the dice on low-risk, high-reward free-agent signings.

And with the Rays expected to vastly improve their roster when the trade deadline draws near, this MLB insider explains why the ballclub should go all-in on this potential highly coveted trade chip.

During an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic explained why now may be the perfect time for the Rays to acquire two-time AL Cy Young Award pitcher, Tarik Skubal.

"They're active at almost every deadline on big-name players, now, they haven't landed one and they might not be as well-positioned as some other teams to make that kind of move," Rosenthal said. "It's not going to be easy for them necessarily from a financial standpoint, but with new ownership, the hope of a new ballpark, this seemingly would be the season to do it."

"This seemingly would be the season to do it."@Ken_Rosenthal believes the Rays could be in the mix if Tarik Skubal is on the trade market. pic.twitter.com/WNMgDUH8SC
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 22, 2026

Skubal, who is entering the final year of his contract with the Detroit Tigers, has had his name swirled around trade talks since this past offseason after he and the Tigers were reportedly far apart in contract negotiations.

The lefty, however, was recently placed on the 15-day injured list on May 4 and would need to undergo surgery for loose bodies in his left elbow. And while the initial prognosis would be that Skubal would miss two to three months, the 29-year-old has already begun playing catch and most recently threw a bullpen session, making him on pace to return sooner than expected.

Tarik Skubal throwing a bullpen at Comerica Park @jonmorosi | #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/5cukOC1NVW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 21, 2026

Even though the asking price is expected to be high for Skubal, it would not be a surprise if Detroit starts flirting with the idea of trading their ace. Since losing Skubal, the Tigers have lost 14 of their last 16 games and enter Friday in last place in the AL Central at 20-31.

If the Tigers continue to falter between now and the trade deadline, it really would not make much sense for them to hold onto Skubal, especially since it may be a foregone conclusion that this will be his last season in Detroit anyway.

The Rays could always use starting pitching help, and if they land an arm like Tarik Skubal to compliment their young, talented roster, they could be a tough team to square off against come October.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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